Respectfully, I Don't Care How You Vote

     Sadly, I had to "unfollow" a few friends on Facebook this week. Daughter #3 and I agreed that the political posts were beginning to feel like bullying. I thought if I threw good karma out there and posted a video of a deer and bunny playing together it would equalize the hateful political posts lining up my news feed. It didn't work. That's when I decided to unfollow people. Maybe after November I can re-follow them.
     Back in the day, my parents never discussed who they voted for. If we asked them outright they would shake their heads and put us off. It was a private affair. This was more true when we were young children and I suppose it was because they didn't want us kids blabbing their political leanings to everyone. My parents took their voting privilege seriously. They voted in all elections, not just the presidential years and mom continued to vote into her nineties, until she died. I recall my older sister and my father having heated arguments at the dinner table during the Vietnam War era. Sister was in college at the time and thinking back on it, she and my dad probably had differing views on the war, which would have led to differing political views. Their conversations would inevitably escalate into raised voices and sister would stomp away to her room. I still had no idea who my dad voted for. He didn't really say much during those arguments other than shake his head and wave his hand at my sister and say something like, "Ahh, go on."
     In later years, I figured it out on my own, where my parents' political leanings were. Just knowing what kind of job my dad had, which public figures they venerated, etc. gave it away. Still, they would never tell me outright. And you know, aside from the tiffs with my sister, our family and friends had peace among themselves when it came to politics. Family and friends gave each other the respect to vote according to their own choosing. No one was bullied or belittled because of their politics. It was simply a matter of differing opinion. You didn't have to argue about it because you got to make your voice heard at the voting booth. You took your stand privately, behind a curtain. We had enough respect for people to honor that right. It's what made and makes America great.
     Perhaps this is the problem nowadays, people don't show respect for one another. The candidates lie and bully and so what, everyone follows suit? I care deeply about our government and our freedoms. For this reason, under the name of Freedom, I don't care who you vote for. Vote for whichever candidate you've studied upon and who fits with your understanding of how you would like our government to be led. It's your business and yours alone. It's your freedom. I can respect that. It's mine, too and I would like to be shown the same respect.
     In the meantime, show me some kittens and rainbows on Facebook. Show me your kids and grandkids and where you went on vacation. I'll show you Bambi and Thumper and my vacation and we'll remain friends forever because I have so much respect for you and your opinions that I won't be in your face with my politics.